Europe's Most Polluted Cities: 15 Are Italian

Data from the European Environment Agency: after Poland's Nowy Satz, there are Cremona, Padua, Venice, and Vicenza. And then Brescia.

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SMOG ITALIAN CITIES 2020
Ahead Nowy Satz, Polish citizen. Then the Italians Cremona, Padova, Venice e VicenzaA horrible ranking for our country: among the first 32 most polluted cities in Europe, well fifteen are Italian, sixteen Polish and one Croatian.

CITY MORE' POLLUTED D'EUROPE

The ranking, compiled by the European Environment Agency, was based on the fine particulate matter recorded over the course of a year (namely, the infamous particulate matter 2,5, the most dangerous and deadly for citizens' health). Returning to the ranking order, after Vicenza comes the Croatian city of Slavonski Brod, followed by another Italian city, Brescia. It's worth noting that all these cities are located in the Po Valley, and even Milan, a highly polluted metropolis, pays the price, in environmental terms, for the pollution imported from the Po Valley. The European data are confirmed at the Italian level by Legambiente's annual survey.

CITY MORE' POLLUTED D'EUROPE

The data is collected in the dossier Malaria 2023 Conducted by Legambiente as part of the Clean Cities campaign, these studies reveal a bleak picture. Both fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels are worrying, although annual averages were still within the 40 µg/m3 limit.

According to the report, in 2022 they are 29 cities have exceeded the 35-day limit for PM10 levels: Turin leads the way, followed by Milan, Asti, Modena, Padua and Venice. 

As for the levels of PM10, the 10 most polluted cities of 2022 were:

  • Turin (43%)
  • Milan (43%)
  • Cremona (42%)
  • Andria (41%)
  • Alexandria (40%)
  • Modena (39%)
  • Asti (39%)
  • Monza (39%)
  • Verona (38%)
  • Praise (38%)

While for the PM2.5, the finest and most dangerous part of fine dust, the worst situations are found in:

  • Monza (60%)
  • Milan, Cremona, Padua and Vicenza (57%)
  • Bergamo, Piacenza, Alessandria and Turin (55%)
  • Como (52%)
  • Brescia, Asti and Mantua (50%)

Finally with regard to NO2 levels the major critical issues were recorded in:

  • Milan (47%)
  • Turin (46%)
  • Palermo (44%)
  • Como (43%)
  • Catania (41%)
  • Rome (39%)
  • Monza, Genoa Trento and Bolzano (34%).

SMOG IN ITALIAN CITIES

European legislation requires that PM10 levels not exceed 40 micrograms per cubic meter for 35 days a year. Yet in 2022, 29 cities exceeded the 35-day limit for PM10, according to "Mal'Aria di città" 2023. And the situation is no better for PM2.5 levels. Of the 85 cities for which data was available, 71 (84% of the sample) recorded values ​​in 2022 exceeding those set by the next directive for 2030, the report explains.

ALSO READ: Covid-19 and pollution: 15 percent of Italian deaths from the virus are linked to smog.

SMOG TURIN

According to the data of the annual report “Bad air in the city 2023Of the 29 cities with at least one monitoring station exceeding the legal limit of 35 days, Turin (Grassi) unfortunately leads the way with 98 days exceeding the limit. Fortunately, annual average values ​​were still within the 40 µg/m3 limit: Turin, like Milan and Cremona, stopped at 35 µg/m3.

PM10 ITALIAN CITIES

The need to put a stop to smog, in addition to avoiding the harmful effects of global warming, it also has to do with our health. According to the data of theEuropean Environment Agency (EEA), every year there are over 50 premature deaths due to excessive exposure to air pollutants with costs of several tens of billions per year, estimated between 47 and 142 billion euros.

CORONAVIRUS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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